Chapter 51: Tobacco is as fierce as a tiger
The transportation in Dajing is not very developed. Although railway construction has begun, there are only a few operating lines. There are several land and water routes from Meixian to the provincial capital, but none of them are smooth and quite troublesome.
Yu Xiao chose to travel mainly by water.
There are many water systems near Meixian County, but there are no large rivers that directly reach the provincial capital.
He needed to take a boat in Meixian, go down the Hanjiang River, turn to Meijiang to Huale Town, and then walk dozens of miles to the Dongjiang Port, so that he could board a passenger ship directly to the provincial capital.
This route.
The total distance is seven or eight hundred kilometers.
It takes about three days.
……
Yu Xiao set off in the morning.
We arrived at Huale Town at noon.
This town is located at the confluence of Tanxia River, Wuhua River and Wubei River. Before railway transportation became mainstream, this place would be an important transportation hub in the northeastern part of Guangyue Province.
When Yu Xiao and his followers stepped out of the boat
There were a lot of cargo ships of all sizes at the dock.
Hundreds of rough-skinned coolies are working hard to carry various goods.
As there are several docks nearby, this place has become a transit point for traveling merchants and travelers. So you can see many people speaking different accents and coming from all over the world, so it seems very lively.
Yu Ruqian: "The carriage has been prepared in advance. We still have dozens of miles to go."
"No need to rush. Now that you are here, why not take a good look around and try some local delicacies? It won't be too late to leave tomorrow. What do you think?"
Yu Xiao has never traveled far.
I'm quite curious about the places outside Meixian.
Of course, others have no objection.
Yu Xiao then asked: "Are there any local specialties?"
"Yes, I have!"
Yu Ruqian immediately listed them all: "I heard that the Qinjiang sashimi, Wuhua stuffed tofu, Hakka salt-baked chicken, etc. here are very special."
"This Qinjiang sashimi is made with a local grass carp called 'grass carp', which is boneless and sliced thinly. The meat is firm, sweet and chewy, leaving you with an endless aftertaste."
"Wuhua stuffed tofu is delicate and sweet, melting in your mouth and leaving a lingering fragrance. In Hakka, "tofu" is pronounced the same as "toufu", which means "toufu". Now that it is the New Year, Xiaoge can go to the provincial capital to buy a property, which will bring good luck."
“As for Hakka salt-baked chicken…”
Yu Ruqian told the story slowly and leisurely.
Explain the special snacks, customs and culture here.
Yu Ruqian was not an ordinary nerd. In fact, he had rarely traveled far, but he liked to read newspapers and miscellaneous books. He had a very wide range of knowledge and was a careful person. It was obvious that he had done his homework in advance.
This is also the reason why Yu Xiao would reuse him.
After listening to Yu Ruqian's various introductions.
Several masters became interested.
The maid was swallowing saliva frantically.
Yu Xiao: "Okay, now that we're here, we can't come for nothing. It's lunch time now, let's find a restaurant to rest and try these local specialties."
You can walk into Huale Town.
Yu Xiao frowned slightly.
Because what I saw was a little different from what I imagined.
Huale Town is indeed much more lively than Xiaohe Town. It is not difficult to see landlords and wealthy businessmen dressed in gorgeous clothes all over the streets. It happens to be the Chinese New Year period, and lanterns are hung in shops along the street, and there are many lively activities.
But there is always a strange and unpleasant smell in the air.
And every corner of the streets and alleys.
In an inconspicuous alley.
They were all ragged, skinny, and sickly-looking homeless people.
Their eyes were empty and their faces were lifeless. Some of them had festering wounds that were full of maggots. They were even indifferent, like the living dead.
“Why are there so many homeless people?”
Yu Ruqian was also puzzled by this.
Tang Yang said at this time: "It is obvious that he is a smoker. This is the fate of smoking opium."
Big smoke?
Yu Xiao understood immediately.
Why is there a strange smell in the air?
He discovered that there were no less than four tobacco shops on the main street of Huale Town, with people coming in and out in an endless stream. The Dajing Dynasty was flooded with tobacco shops.
I just didn't expect that there would be so many smokers in a small town.
The convenient shipping in Huale Town is not necessarily a good thing. A large amount of tobacco leaves are imported from the provincial capital or other ports, and many of them are transferred here and sent inland. This process inevitably harms the local area.
Yu Xiao asked: "Are there many opium dens in the provincial capital?"
"There are more than a lot of them. They are everywhere. I don't know how many families have been separated and how many tragedies have been caused by them..."
Tang Yang said in a deep voice: "Men who are addicted to smoking often appear skinny, weak and listless. Once the addiction strikes, they will not hesitate to abandon their wives and children. Women who are addicted to smoking are often at the mercy of others and will not hesitate to sell their bodies in exchange for money to smoke!"
"These smokers don't deserve any sympathy!"
"I'll do anything to smoke opium!"
"Foreigners use this kind of thing to drain the Chinese people's bodies bit by bit, and make huge profits in the process!"
"..."
Yu Xiao knew that opium dens were rampant, but he underestimated the severity of the problem until he saw it with his own eyes. The harm caused by opium in that era was shocking.
The profits from opium are huge.
The Dajing court was incompetent and incompetent.
Even though there are righteous people who want to promote smoking cessation.
However, the external resistance is too great and may easily anger the Western powers.
There were also merchants and officials colluding with each other inside, making it completely impossible to control the situation.
Yu Xiao felt a little heavy-hearted in the face of such a corrupt situation. Even his interest in eating, drinking and having fun was affected. He did not stay for a meal but set off in a carriage that afternoon.
On the way to Dongjiangkou.
We passed through many dilapidated and depressed villages.
Although Yujia Village was quite dilapidated before Yu Xiao came, compared with these nearly abandoned villages, Yujia Village at that time was already considered to be a prosperous place.
The most shocking thing is.
Many of the fields near the village have been abandoned.
It is now the early rice season. Xiaohe Town has begun to raise seedlings and loosen the soil in preparation for the most important spring ploughing. However, after being infected by tobacco, most of the villagers nearby have lost their labor force and no one even cultivates the land.
Not only that!
There is another scene that makes people's blood boil and anger burn.
I saw that some of the cultivated land was not planted with crops, but was covered with large areas of poppy poppies, which are the raw materials for making opium!
I found out after asking around.
It was the local landlords who cooperated with foreigners.
These foreigners provided seeds and agreed to purchase them.
The landlords organized people to grow the raw materials for opium.
"Too crazy!"
Tang Yang was so angry that his eyes turned red.
Why did the Tang family fight so hard against the foreigners?
In fact, it is more accurate to say that it is a fight against drugs rather than against foreigners.
At this moment, the only two people left in the Tang family are Tang Yang and Tang Yue. There are countless heroes like Tang family who died in the resistance, but they still cannot stop the spread of drugs in this land!
Everyone's blood was shed in vain!
Sacrifice has become a joke!
Such national hatred and family feud!
How can I not be angry?!
Yu Xiao was also shocked when he saw the fields of poppies. He couldn't believe that he could see such a scene in Guangyue Province.
Because of the climate and soil.
Quang Viet Province is not an ideal place for this stuff.
The quality of the raw materials grown is low.
Now even places like this are planted in large quantities. It is hard to imagine what the situation is like in Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan, which are more suitable for planting... I am afraid it is everywhere in the mountains and plains. No wonder the people are living in poverty.
Although cruel
But the Tang family and similar sacrifices are really meaningless.
These traditional heroes, who were influenced by the ideas of loyalty to the emperor and patriotism, often still had illusions about the Jingting.
They are against foreign things but not against the scenery, and they even continue to protect the scenery. Once they have this mentality, no matter how many sacrifices they make, it will be useless... because this land is indeed terminally ill.
Yu Xiao is more optimistic about the Daxia Association where Ye Biqing and Gao Zhi are!
Only subversion.
Only then can you be reborn!
However, the Jing court was still decaying but not weak. It still nominally had millions of mercenaries, a group of loyal supporters, and a few capable and loyal imperial paperhangers. It was not enough to resist the powerful ships and guns of the great powers, but it was more than enough to suppress domestic rebellions.
The world is about to fall into chaos, so we need to be patient and wait for the right time.
(End of this chapter)
